IIHS Starts Public Safety Ratings for Commercial Trucks
IIHS released its first public commercial truck safety assessments, starting with nine Class 3 pickups and cargo vans before broader truck evaluations follow.
First public commercial-truck scores
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its first public safety assessments for commercial trucks, a step toward the kind of independent ratings passenger vehicles have had for decades.
The first round covered nine Class 3 pickups and cargo vans. Fewer than half offered the full set of driver-protection features IIHS considers essential, including standard front and side air bags, advanced seat belt technology and effective seat belt reminders.
Which models made the cut
IIHS said the Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD and Ford F-350 SuperCrew met all of its driver-protection requirements among the pickups tested. The Ram 3500 had the needed air bags and seat belt technologies but lacked an effective seat belt reminder.
Among vans, the Chevrolet BrightDrop 400 and Ram ProMaster 2500 had all of the essentials. The Chevrolet Express 2500, Ford Transit T-250, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 and Rivian Delivery 500 missed at least one requirement, according to IIHS.
Why fleets should care
The safety-rating push lands against a hard backdrop: crashes involving heavy- or medium-duty trucks or light vans killed 6,535 people in 2023, or 16% of U.S. roadway fatalities.
IIHS plans to evaluate the same vehicles for road-user protections such as automatic emergency braking and headlights in the coming months. Classes 4-6 cab chassis are expected in 2027, with Classes 7-8 evaluations to follow. For fleets buying equipment, that could eventually add a clearer third-party signal alongside uptime, payload and total cost of ownership.
